White House Correspondents Association to honor Secret Service agent who stopped gunman

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) announced on Tuesday it will honor a secret service agent it said was pivotal in stopping a gunman who tried to assassinate President Trump during the annual dinner this spring.

Secret Service Police Officer Victor Gonzales will be presented with the WHCA’s “President’s Award for Exceptional Service,” during the rescheduled dinner, which will be held July 24 in Washington, D.C.

Gonzales, the association said, was at a security checkpoint when the gunman, Cole Allen, 31, a teacher and game developer, tried to burst through at the Washington Hilton.

Allen was subdued just outside the ballroom doors as secret service rushed to get the president and other top officials out of the room.

“The WHCA is deeply grateful that law enforcement officials prevented the armed suspect from entering the ballroom,” said Weijia Jiang of CBS News, and president of the association. “Officer Gonzales played a significant role when he ran toward danger so that thousands of others could make it home safely. His courage stemmed from a dedication to service, which we are looking forward to honoring this week.”

Before the attempted attack, Allen posted a manifesto in which he wrote that Trump and other officials in the room that night were “targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” while guests at the dinner and employees were “not targets at all.” 

Friday night’s program will include a “salute to the First Amendment in 250 years of American history, awards honoring groundbreaking reporting … a salute to scholarship winners, and remarks by President Trump and entertainment by mentalist Oz Pearlman,” the WHCA said.